Excellent Video with explanation of the Push Pass. Mia Hamm demonstrates the proper technique. Two excellent drills to use in practice to help get it home.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Push Pass Drills with Mia Hamm (Video)
Excellent Video with explanation of the Push Pass. Mia Hamm demonstrates the proper technique. Two excellent drills to use in practice to help get it home.
Dribbling: Fakes Vs. Feints
From US Youth Soccer -
Coaches will try to teach and players will try to learn ‘moves’ for dribbling through the use of fakes and feints. Yet what is the distinction between a fake and feint? A fake is a move that is done with the ball; actually moving the ball. A feint (body swerve) is done only with the body, no contact with the ball until the player in possession finally plays the ball. A fake is done with the feet. A feint could be done with almost any part of the body. The goal of either a fake or a feint is to get the opponent off balance (wrong 20 footed) or going in the direction opposite of where the player in possession of the ball really plans to go.
When using either a feint or a fake subtle control of the body is required. The center of gravity should not be moved too far sideways from the body’s midline. If the body weight is unnecessarily shifted in the direction of the swerve, the player will find it difficult to make a fast second move. Changing direction quickly during a fake requires the player to keep a low center of gravity until the second move is started.
Coaches must be cautious with the systematic instruction of feints and fakes. In coaching, the main thing is to develop the abilities that will help the players in making effective ‘moves’, such as speed, mobility and a sense of how to shift the center of gravity economically. Once a player is comfortable with the basics of dribbling then cunning must become a part of the skill.
Coaches will try to teach and players will try to learn ‘moves’ for dribbling through the use of fakes and feints. Yet what is the distinction between a fake and feint? A fake is a move that is done with the ball; actually moving the ball. A feint (body swerve) is done only with the body, no contact with the ball until the player in possession finally plays the ball. A fake is done with the feet. A feint could be done with almost any part of the body. The goal of either a fake or a feint is to get the opponent off balance (wrong 20 footed) or going in the direction opposite of where the player in possession of the ball really plans to go.
When using either a feint or a fake subtle control of the body is required. The center of gravity should not be moved too far sideways from the body’s midline. If the body weight is unnecessarily shifted in the direction of the swerve, the player will find it difficult to make a fast second move. Changing direction quickly during a fake requires the player to keep a low center of gravity until the second move is started.
Coaches must be cautious with the systematic instruction of feints and fakes. In coaching, the main thing is to develop the abilities that will help the players in making effective ‘moves’, such as speed, mobility and a sense of how to shift the center of gravity economically. Once a player is comfortable with the basics of dribbling then cunning must become a part of the skill.
The Dribbling Attack Activity
This activity works with all age groups.Play 3v3 in a 30 x 20 yard grid. Put the two groups of three into different colored training bibs. Each player in one group has a ball. Attacking players must dribble past defending players. The defending players should try to gain possession and (if they do) then dribble past an opponent. Players may dribble in any direction inside the grid to start. The activity can progress when the coach gives the attack a direction (e.g., dribble to a specified goal line). Play a round for a set amount of time. After a round the groups switch roles.
Suggestions of time to play -
U6: play one minute rounds
U8: play two minute rounds
U10: play three minute rounds
U12: play four minute rounds
U14: play five minute rounds
Under 6 Drill - "The Moving Goal Game"
Organization:Divide players into two equal teams. Two coaches or parents hold a practice vest between them forming a goal. The players must then try to kick their ball through the goal (any side) while the goal is moving around. Both teams score into the same goal.
Under 8 Drill - "Bulldog"
Organization: The coach starts as the bulldog in the middle of the playing area. All the players are at one end of the playing area with a ball. On the coach’s command of “go bulldogs” the players must get to the opposite side of the playing area without their ball being kicked out by the coach. If a players ball is kicked out they become a bulldog . The last player with a ball wins the game and becomes the bulldog for the next game.
How Not to Kill Your Kid's Love of Sports
by Sue Shellenbarger of The Wall Street Journal
Katie Roper's daughter Ellen likes to play lots of sports--soccer, basketball, softball and swimming. But even at Ellen's tender age of nine, that's getting hard to do.
Kids in her swim program are dropping other sports to specialize in competitive swimming year-round, and Ellen is having a tough time keeping up. The year-round swimmers tend to beat others badly, says Ms. Roper, of Los Altos, Calif. "I'm sad that soon she'll be discouraged and probably want to quit a sport she loves."
As millions of kids take to fields, courts and rinks this fall, as many as half to two-thirds are destined to quit sports by their teens, largely because they're not having fun, studies show. A trend toward specialization--pressure for kids to play just one competitive sport year-round--is one reason, researchers say.
Many kids thrive in competitive year-round programs, learning advanced skills and enjoying expanded opportunities. But the programs can be a bad fit for others, fostering stress and an overemphasis on winning, says a recent focus-group study of 67 school officials, coaches, parents and teens led by Daniel Gould, director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University. Such strains are linked to higher injury risk, reduced motivation and burnout.
For parents who want their kids to embrace sports as a path to lifelong fitness and fun, the trend calls for new vigilance. Here are some early-warning signs that your child may be burning out:
It's No Fun
A child who grows bored, resists practices and games, feigns illness or injury, or retreats to the back of the line in drills, is at high risk of dropping out. Jeffrey L. Brown, a Harvard Medical School psychologist, also cites fatigue, performance worries or a lack of concentration in other activities.
The challenge for parents is to help children hold on to the joy of participating while others are focused primarily on winning. Switching to a community, YMCA or recreational league program can help. But it's usually best to finish the season, says Marty Ewing, an associate professor of kinesiology at Michigan State. Exceptions might include cases when a child is clearly in over her head and can't focus, or is so mismatched with a team that she's at risk of injury.
Teammates Aren't Compatible
Camaraderie is a big source of the fun in sports and its absence can signal trouble. Joy Wyatt's daughter showed early aptitude for gymnastics and worked hard, at age 8, to prepare for her first competition. But when she was forced to sit out with an injury, her teammates were unsupportive and unkind, says Ms. Wyatt of New York. Put off, she decided to quit at the end of season.
Cheating Rears Its Head
If your child complains about cheating or starts cheating himself, burnout may loom. Blaming a bad call for a loss or error may signal that a child is frustrated, anxious or too focused on winning, Dr. Ewing says. It also may be a clue that you're hovering too much: An in-depth 2006 study of four junior tennis players at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, found parental pressure to win was by far the biggest reason players cited as the cause of cheating.
Your Involvement Eclipses Your Child's
A 2006 Norwegian study of 677 soccer players ages 10 to 14 found children who felt heavy performance pressure from parents and coaches were over-concerned about making mistakes and harsher in their self-criticism.
If you see such emotions in your child, Michael Checchi advises, "take a hard look in the mirror." When Mr. Checchi's son showed early talent for baseball, he immersed him in the sport, enrolling him in off-season training and doing drills at home. But to Mr. Checchi's dismay, his son began at age 13 to lose interest. "The harder I pushed, the more resistance he gave me," recalls the San Ramon, California, father. Finally, his wife "told me I was being a jerk," he says. He backed off, and his son's interest in baseball soon reignited.
Katie Roper's daughter Ellen likes to play lots of sports--soccer, basketball, softball and swimming. But even at Ellen's tender age of nine, that's getting hard to do.
Kids in her swim program are dropping other sports to specialize in competitive swimming year-round, and Ellen is having a tough time keeping up. The year-round swimmers tend to beat others badly, says Ms. Roper, of Los Altos, Calif. "I'm sad that soon she'll be discouraged and probably want to quit a sport she loves."
As millions of kids take to fields, courts and rinks this fall, as many as half to two-thirds are destined to quit sports by their teens, largely because they're not having fun, studies show. A trend toward specialization--pressure for kids to play just one competitive sport year-round--is one reason, researchers say.
Many kids thrive in competitive year-round programs, learning advanced skills and enjoying expanded opportunities. But the programs can be a bad fit for others, fostering stress and an overemphasis on winning, says a recent focus-group study of 67 school officials, coaches, parents and teens led by Daniel Gould, director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University. Such strains are linked to higher injury risk, reduced motivation and burnout.
For parents who want their kids to embrace sports as a path to lifelong fitness and fun, the trend calls for new vigilance. Here are some early-warning signs that your child may be burning out:
It's No Fun
A child who grows bored, resists practices and games, feigns illness or injury, or retreats to the back of the line in drills, is at high risk of dropping out. Jeffrey L. Brown, a Harvard Medical School psychologist, also cites fatigue, performance worries or a lack of concentration in other activities.
The challenge for parents is to help children hold on to the joy of participating while others are focused primarily on winning. Switching to a community, YMCA or recreational league program can help. But it's usually best to finish the season, says Marty Ewing, an associate professor of kinesiology at Michigan State. Exceptions might include cases when a child is clearly in over her head and can't focus, or is so mismatched with a team that she's at risk of injury.
Teammates Aren't Compatible
Camaraderie is a big source of the fun in sports and its absence can signal trouble. Joy Wyatt's daughter showed early aptitude for gymnastics and worked hard, at age 8, to prepare for her first competition. But when she was forced to sit out with an injury, her teammates were unsupportive and unkind, says Ms. Wyatt of New York. Put off, she decided to quit at the end of season.
Cheating Rears Its Head
If your child complains about cheating or starts cheating himself, burnout may loom. Blaming a bad call for a loss or error may signal that a child is frustrated, anxious or too focused on winning, Dr. Ewing says. It also may be a clue that you're hovering too much: An in-depth 2006 study of four junior tennis players at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, found parental pressure to win was by far the biggest reason players cited as the cause of cheating.
Your Involvement Eclipses Your Child's
A 2006 Norwegian study of 677 soccer players ages 10 to 14 found children who felt heavy performance pressure from parents and coaches were over-concerned about making mistakes and harsher in their self-criticism.
If you see such emotions in your child, Michael Checchi advises, "take a hard look in the mirror." When Mr. Checchi's son showed early talent for baseball, he immersed him in the sport, enrolling him in off-season training and doing drills at home. But to Mr. Checchi's dismay, his son began at age 13 to lose interest. "The harder I pushed, the more resistance he gave me," recalls the San Ramon, California, father. Finally, his wife "told me I was being a jerk," he says. He backed off, and his son's interest in baseball soon reignited.
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